Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-29

picked up our two dead ones. ana peaut1-
1ul BIRDS they were, weighing not less than
about thirty pounds each, and were chas-
ing the winged one, which had scrambled
over mass Of driftweed into a pool of
clear water beyond. Finding a difficulty
IN forcing the canoe through the rubbish,
told our only remaining Wakwafi SER
want, whom [ knew to be an excellent
| swimmer, to jump over, dive under the
| DRIFT, and catch them, knowing that as
| there were no crocodiles in this lake he
could come to no harm. Entering into the
| fun of the thing the man did so, and soon
was lodging about after the winged swan
in fine style, getting gradually nearer to
the rock wall, against which the water
washed as he did so.
suddenly he gave ND swimming after
the swan, and began to cry out that he
was being carried away; and, indeed, we
saw that, though he was swimming with
all his strength toward us he was being
drawn slowly toward the precipice. With
few desperate strokes of our paddles we
pushed the canoe through the crustof drift
and rowed toward the man as hard as we
could, but, as fast us we went. he was
drawn faster toward the rock. Su60ealy
l saw that before Us, just rising eighteen
inches or so above the surface of the lake.
was whG5 looked like the top of the arch of
a submerged cave or railway tunnel. Evi-
IDENTIFY, from the watermark on the rock
several feet above it, it was generally en-
tirefy submerged but there had been
dry season, and the cold had prevented the
snow from melting as freely as usual; so
~, l.,l-
Towards this arch our poor servant was
being sucked with frightful rapidity He
was not more than twenty PAGES from it.
and we were about thirty when | saw it.
and with little help from us the canoe flew
along after him. He struggled braveIv.
and L thought that we should have saved
him, when suddenly perceived an express
sion of despair come upon his face, and
there before our eyes he was sucked down
into the cruel swirling blue depths. and
vanished. At the same moment | ielt our
canoe seized as with a mighty hand. and
propelled with reSistleSS force toward the
rock.
we realized our danger now and rOwed,
or rather padded, furiously in our attempt
to get out of the vortex. In vain; in an
other second we were flying straight for
4
we We're lost. Luckily retained sufficient
presence Of mind to shout out, instantly
setting the example by throwing myself
into the bottom of the canoe Down on
your faces-Gown!" and the others had the
sense to take the hint. In another instant
there was a grinding noise, and the boat
was pushed down till the water began to
trickle over the sides, and | thought that
yyo D1Jfr, dor, " tI1ac ind
ing ceased; and we could again feel the
canoe flying along. | turned my head a
little-I dared not lift it-and looked up.
By the feeble light that yet reached the
canoe, could make out that dense arch
Of rock hung just over our heads, and that
was all. In another minute | could not
even make out as much as that for the
faint light had merged into shadow, and
the shadows had been swallowed up in
darkness, utter and complete.
For an hour or SO we lay there, not dar-
ing to lift our heads for fear lest the brains
should be dashed out of them, and scarcely
able to speak even, on account of the noise
of the rushing water which drowned our
voices. Not indeed, that we had much
inclination to speak, seeing that we were
overwhelmed by the awfulneSS of opslpo-
sition and the imminent fear Of Infant
death, either by being dashed against the
sides of the cavern, or on a rock, or being
sucked down into the raging waters, or
perhaps asphyxiated by want of air. All
of these and many other modes of death
presented themselves to my imagination
as lay at the bottom of the canoe, listen
ing to the swirl of the hurrying waters
which ran whittier we knew not. One
only other sound could l hear, and that
was Alphonse's intermittent howl of ter
ror coming from the center Of the canoe;
and even that seemed faint and unreal.
Indeed, the whole thing overpowered my
brain, and began to believe that L was
the victim Of some CHASTITY spirit-shaking
nightmare.